Editing Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania (section)

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|783|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|779|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|4.2|sqmi}} (0.5%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_42.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 10, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref>

The [[Schuylkill River]] headwaters are found in the county, starting in the [[Appalachian Mountains]], and flows through many towns and the city of [[Reading, Pennsylvania]], to [[Philadelphia]] where it flows into the [[Delaware River]]. The Schuylkill drains the majority of the county while some western and northern areas of the county are drained by the [[Susquehanna River]]. The [[Swatara Creek]], [[Wiconisco Creek]], [[Mahantango Creek]], [[Mahanoy Creek]], and [[Catawissa Creek]] all start in Schuylkill County and are tributaries of the Susquehanna. Areas of the eastern portion of the county drain into the [[Lehigh River]] via the [[Quakake Creek]], [[Nesquehoning Creek]], Mahoning Creek, and [[Lizard Creek (Pennsylvania)|Lizard Creek]], all of which also start in the county. To the south, southern Schuylkill county is home to [[Blue Mountain (Pennsylvania)|Blue Mountain]] and the [[Appalachian Trail]]. Broad Mountain crosses the county from northeast to southwest.

Schuylkill County is located in northeastern Pennsylvania's [[Coal Region]]. It is located just north of the [[Lehigh Valley]] and [[Reading, Pennsylvania|Reading]] metropolitan areas. Portions of eastern Schuylkill County around [[Tamaqua, Pennsylvania|Tamaqua]] are located in the [[Pocono Mountains]]. As a result, like other portions of the Poconos, eastern Schuylkill has experienced an influx of people from [[New York City]] and [[New Jersey]] who commute into [[Manhattan, New York|Manhattan]] each day. The commute can take up to two hours each way due to distance and traffic. Far western areas of the county are located near [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|Harrisburg]] and are sometimes considered to be located in [[South Central Pennsylvania]].

===Climate===
The county has a [[humid continental climate]] (''Dfa/Dfb'') with four distinct seasons. The [[hardiness zone]] is 6b in most of the county, 7a in lowlands of the south-central and SW areas of the county and upriver to Pottsville and Minersville, and 6a in small higher northern areas. [https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/] Average monthly temperatures in the vicinity of downtown Pottsville range from 27.3&nbsp;°F in January to 72.3&nbsp;°F in July, while in Mahanoy City they range from 24.3&nbsp;°F in January to 69.3&nbsp;°F in July.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://prism.oregonstate.edu/explorer/ | title=PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University }}</ref>

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Columbia County, Pennsylvania|Columbia County]] (northwest)
* [[Luzerne County, Pennsylvania|Luzerne County]] (north)
* [[Carbon County, Pennsylvania|Carbon County]] (northeast)
* [[Lehigh County, Pennsylvania|Lehigh County]] (southeast)
* [[Berks County, Pennsylvania|Berks County]] (south)
* [[Lebanon County, Pennsylvania|Lebanon County]] (southwest)
* [[Dauphin County, Pennsylvania|Dauphin County]] (southwest)
* [[Northumberland County, Pennsylvania|Northumberland County]] (northwest)

Interstates, US Routes, and State Routes
* {{jct|state=PA|I|81}}
* {{jct|state=PA|US|209}}
* {{jct|state=PA|PA|25}}
* {{jct|state=PA|PA|54}}
* {{jct|state=PA|PA|61}}
* {{jct|state=PA|PA|125}}
* {{jct|state=PA|PA|183}}
* {{jct|state=PA|PA|309}}
* {{jct|state=PA|PA|325}}
* {{jct|state=PA|PA|339}}
* {{jct|state=PA|PA|443}}
* {{jct|state=PA|PA|501}}
* {{jct|state=PA|PA|895}}
* {{jct|state=PA|PA|901}}
* {{jct|state=PA|PA|924}}